Consequence of You
by smile1
Summary: Eric/Sookie 1 parter. It's a stormy night and Sookie is in need of some southern comfort. "Are you sure about that?"  Eric shamelessly asked her. "I bet you'd feel a lot safer with me in there with you."


**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the book or television series _True Blood. _All I own is my imagination.**

**A/N: **Surprisingly enough, I got a good reaction to my first _True Blood_ that I posed a while back. The fandom, writing wise, is new to me and I am still merely dipping my toes in. Still, I do enjoy the challenge of writing the characters of Eric and Sookie and their interaction. Whereas my last Eric/Sookie story the drama and tension was provided against the backdrop of a 'kidnapping,' this one parter is 'softer' and the interaction differently loaded. I don't want to give anything away, so I hope you'll enjoy reading this, appreciating it for what it is: senseless fluff. I think. :)

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><p><strong>Consequence Of<strong>** You**

_"She already knows that she's my better half."_

It was a starless night out with a storm about to break over Bon Temps. Rain already clattered against the windows Sookie had just made sure were all shut, and wind howled loudly around the house, warning its resident to stay inside with all the lights turned on. It was one of those nights that featured in the horror movies she knew she shouldn't watch, but couldn't resist for some reason. The thought itself was a cliché, but then, most people didn't live in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees to look out at.

She was curled up on the couch underneath a fleece blanket with her hands and feet tucked underneath because Sookie felt that much more safe when doing so. This was one of those rare moments where she envied those who didn't have to be alone on a night like this. She normally dismissed the thought, assuring herself that she preferred being on her own and that it _was_ a choice.  
>She did like having the house to herself and being able to get out of the shower and wander through the house in just a towel. She could sit on the couch and watch those sappy movies she claimed she never watched and ball her eyes out for no good reason, though it did always make her feel better. And she could sit in the tub for hours without anyone disturbing her.<p>

But then again, it would be nice to get out of the shower in some sexy lingerie with someone dying to see it, or to have someone to watch those movies with. How good of a feeling would it be to compare her relationship to the one in the movie and to realize that hers was even better than the make-believe one. And to have someone in the bathtub with her, turning the situation from a playful into a more erotic one. All of these romantic and sentimental things she said she hated when really Sookie wanted nothing more than to have someone to buy her chocolates and flowers on Valentine's even though she pretended not to care about the holiday.

In some way it was a choice, since human guys were pretty much out of the question until she located the off button on her ability. Of course there had been other options to explore, but at least her heart had never been fractured by a human guy. Bill had let her down immensely and she looked at what she had with Eric as the equivalent of a summer fling. It was good while it lasted, but reality had been waiting to crash down on her all along. _And how could playing house with a vampire ever be reality, let alone one she missed?_

The first thunder could be heard outside and she quickly reached out to turn on another light. The thunder crackled for a few seconds before fading into the evening sky. It was just nature throwing a fit, nothing to be scared of. Still, images of all the horror movies she had ever watched flashed through her mind. She shook her head and got up from the couch, blanket still wrapped around her as she decided that she had to do something to pass the time. She had to distract herself and get through this storm. She would pop in one of those sappy DVDs and make some popcorn. She headed into the kitchen, trying to recollect where she had put the popcorn.

Sookie froze upon entering the kitchen, finding the backdoor wide open. Rationally she figured that it must have been due to the wind. Irrationally, she wondered if she should go back and get the shotgun she kept somewhere in the house while inching closer towards the open door. But she wasn't positive if the shotgun would be where she thought it was and all she had to do was close and lock the backdoor. She had been through scarier situations. She ditched the blanket and poked her head out. Sookie saw nothing; the rain blurred her vision of the grounds and woods around her house. She bravely took the few steps out onto the porch to stare out into the rain. She liked to think that there was someone watching over her, like Alcide. Even he got over his infatuation with her and got back with his deranged ex. Now there was a good man, who seemed even more appealing now that he was taken. Wasn't that always the case? She was just lonely and missed having Eric around.

Sookie shivered, wearing grey shorts and a baggy light pink sweater. Definitely not the sexy lingerie she had thought about earlier, but there was no one to impress. As thunder rolled through the sky, she took one last glance out into the darkness and retreated. Turning around, lightning struck causing her to flinch and briefly close her eyes. It was a fairly dramatic reaction, but she was just glad she was able to hold back on the shriek, though it came tumbling out of her mouth anyway once she spotted the figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Eric," she gasped, needing a second to recover and catch her breath as her heart felt like it had come to a full stop.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he told her, though the emotion wasn't genuine as his bottom lip twitched with amusement unexpressed until she uttered her reply.

"Like hell you didn't."

Eric's bottom lip curved upwards into a self-satisfied smirk and his eyes shone in anticipation of the words that were to come. "I admit, I like hearing you scream. I love it actually." He took a step closer, his chest only inches from hers as he towered over her, the look in his eyes intensifying as he looked down at her. "The ways I could make you scream in excruciating pleasure are endless..." He licked his bottom lip quickly and raked his teeth over the wet are in a slower and seductive manner. "But then you _are _familiar with those ways."

For a moment Sookie allowed herself to get lost in the memory. Like an outer body experience she was standing on the sidelines looking in on a similar situation to this one. The energy was almost the same and the clothes came off voluntarily. He was an Adonis underneath the moonlight, his muscles hard but his touches so soft and careful. It was dizzying and left her out of breath because in a way it was like being hit in the stomach and having all of the air taken from her at the realization that it would never be again. To tread onto that path was painful and its destination unsure, so she steered from it and kept safe. She ignored Eric's comment all together, though from the delay in her reply he knew that she was remembering, remembering something between them that had been real but didn't seem like that to him because the man she had allowed that close hadn't been anything like him.

"Any particular reason why you're here?" She crossed her arms protectively and defensively, putting up the usual barrier between them. It pulled at her heart in a painful manner.

He nodded, his smirk gone. He handed her a small package of clothing, neatly folded. She hadn't noticed it before now. "I came to return these. Just being near them is like committing a crime of fashion..."

Sookie said clothes from him, a smile pulling at her lips. "I didn't know you cared that much about fashion. " She eyed his attire: dark jeans and a grey V-neck shirt.

"You didn't let me finish." He raised his index finger before briefly touching it to his mouth. "Just being near them is like committing a crime of fashion, or so Pam told me. I don't particularly care. Life is not a runway."

She smiled.

Eric leaned in a little closer, whispering: "And let's be honest, it aren't the clothes that make the man, it's what underneath and in my case no one has ever been disappointed, including you." He reached out to touch her cheek.

Her smile had disappeared and she turned her head, her blond tresses covering her colored cheeks. She hugged the returned clothes to her chest before going around Eric and entering her house. She dropped the clothes on the counter, running her hands over them before looking back over at Eric who still stood outside. "Sucks being on the other side, doesn't it?"

He flashed her one of his devilish smirks and nodded. "I'd rather be inside with you than out here in the rain."

"I'm not inviting you in, Eric." Just as she said that, lightning bolts lit up the sky outside once again and thunder caused her to turn around quickly and take a few steps in Eric's direction. She was thinking about how stupid she was acting when there was another lightning strike and, as the sky flashed with light, the ones in her house went off.

"Are you sure about that?" Eric shamelessly asked her. "I bet you'd feel a lot safer with _me _in there _with you_."

Sookie threw him a look. "I'm trying to keep the monsters outside."

"Monsters?" he quipped, an eyebrow raised in amusement. He followed her erratic movements and quick breaths as she rummaged through a drawer.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a horror movie?" she directed at him. "You know, one of those where there's a storm raging outside and the power goes out an then... Ah hah, found it!" she exclaimed, pulling out a flashlight and turning it on before going on. "Anyway, the power goes out and then the girl hears something outside like a twig snapping, or the phone rings and there's no one on the other end."

"They're movies," he pointed out.

"That's easy for you to say since you're a vampire. Psycho killers don't stand a chance. Must be nice." She struggled with getting her shoes on due to the darkness and the flashlight she was holding in her hands.

Eric finally sighed, unable to bear witness to it any longer. "Where´s the fuse box?"

"Out back."

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Acts of uncharacteristic kindness like this one shouldn't be questioned or interrupted. I might lose this helpful mood I'm in."

Sookie shook her head. "No. Eric!" she yelled after him. "I can do it myself," she murmured stubbornly while leaving her house and running after him. "I've changed a fuse before," she let him know once caught up with him. "I've survived storms and power outages before. And if you help me then I owe you and..."

She trailed off as he continued on walking as if he hadn't heard her, his steps big and quick. However, when Eric reached the small shed-like structure that held her fuse box, he held open the door for her instead of entering himself. He gestured for her to go in. She did, though not before handing him the flashlight. "Not all of us can see in the dark."

Surprisingly enough he did what she expected of him and kept the beam of light steady as she crouched down in front of the fuse box. Though she still moved as quickly as she could, she felt less skittish having him behind her and watching over her. It was what she yearned for at times. Occasionally she felt Eric's eyes on her, admiring the view he had of her. Fortunately she was wearing a long sweater, but her legs were still on display. The adoration for her was still there, though lust was also clouding his vision, especially now that he had a taste of her. His eyes were still on her when she got back up.

"Are the lights back on?" she asked him, careful not to meet his gaze.

Eric threw a look over his shoulder before softly clapping his hands together a few times. "How very independent of you."

She rolled her eyes while closing the door, leaning back against it and holding her hand out. "Thanks for holding the flashlight," she joked, the look in her eyes almost comfortable as he handed the object to her.

A wolf howled in the distance and she relaxed somewhat. It's not that she didn't feel safe with Eric, but now that he had regained his memory he was as unpredictable as ever. Her heart was still beating faster than usual for him and she couldn't deny that he didn't look good, but she wasn't sure why he was here. He had already had her, didn't he?

"Your boyfriend's howling for you."

"He's not... Alcide is just looking out," she told him. "He and Debbie reunited."

"You don't like her."

"I don't trust her," she said it out loud.

"She did try to kill you," Eric agreed with her.

"Oh, I remember. " Sookie shrugged. "Maybe people can change."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I'd like to."

He tried meeting her eyes but she past him, already on her way back into the house. Inside Sookie assessed the damage that was done. She kicked off her shoes and took off her moist sweater, revealing a white tank top. She eyed Eric who had appeared in her doorway once more, shirt wet and hair dripping. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"I'm where I need to be."

Sookie sighed. "Fine, you can come in, but one wrong move and I'll revoke that invitation. If you want something dry to wear... " She picked up the pile he had returned to her earlier. "This is all I have." She handed it to him and he took it. She turned, popping a TrueBlood in the microwave before resuming her search for the popcorn. She was purposely keeping herself busy while he changed shirts, knowing what effect that image would have on her restraints. When the microwave pinged, she took out the bottle and replaced it with the bag of popcorn. She turned to hand Eric the bottle, taken back by him in the blue sweatshirt as it was almost familiar. _Now he no longer seemed out of place in her home._

"I prefer my blood fresh," he remarked, taking the bottle from her nonetheless.

"And I prefer the people in my house to all be alive, but, hey."

She shrugged and he took a swig. "You're making popcorn?"

Sookie nodded, a little embarrassed because eating in front of people was something she didn't like that much. Her eyes remained on the microwave's timer as she braced herself for Eric's follow-up remark. But the lines in his face straightened as he inquired, "Besides the sex... did we sit around and watch movies together? I don't remember that."

Sookie eyed him, shaking her head. "No. I watched TV and you read. In Swedish."

"I liked to read, when I was still human," he added.

"What were your favorite books to read?" she asked him, keeping the conversation going as the microwave beeped.

"Philosophy." She hadn't expected a serious answer. "How the world works and how humans work. Questions without any real answers." He took another swig from the bottle, leaning back against the counter. "Once I was a vampire I thought I'd find the real answers."

"And here I am reading romance novels," she commented, ripping open the bag.

"Have you read the one about the vampire and the girl?"

"I'm living it." She pushed the bowl of popcorn in Eric's now empty hands.

"Are you?"

"Uh huh." She reached for the blanket she had left by the door earlier and wrapped it around herself. "But you and Bill pulling at me from each side doesn't feel as romantic as it's made out to be in those novels.

She headed into the living room and Eric followed her, bowl of popcorn in hand, making an amusing and unlikely picture. "Is Bill still pursuing you?"

She shook her head while settling herself on the couch.

"Are you pursuing him?" Eric continued his questioning.

"You mean since I found out he lied to me? No, but for a long time it was like that and sometimes it still feels like that," she explained to him.

"Do you wish he was still pursuing you?"

"Sometimes he still is," she shared with Eric, although Bill's long-lasting fascination with her was common knowledge by now.

She took the bowl of popcorn from him and stared off wistfully though he didn't fathom what exactly she was missing when the king still carried strong feelings for her. As did the werewolf. He almost bared his teeth in envy. "You miss it," he vaguely stated relying on her to fill in the blanks.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "I don't want to be a mere lust object or a trophy. I want to be an equal. As opposed to a human made slightly more interesting for supernatural beings due to my gift and fairy heritage. A collector's item."

Eric nodded. "You are rare."

She dropped the pieces of popcorn in her hand back into the bowl before placing it on the coffee table, frustrated. "I was more than that, or less than that depending on how you look at it really... I was plain Sookie but I felt-"

"You are a lot of things," he interrupted her, "but plain, never." Eric sat down on the sofa's armrest. "If I've already been with you and that was all it was about, why would I bother coming back?"

"Because you want to be with me the way you are now to prove something to yourself. We discussed this during our... whatever it was. I wasn't sure if I would still want you like this." Her head was bowed because she almost felt ashamed saying to things to him. It sounded harsh.

Eric made a sudden move and dropped down onto the seat beside her.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable."

"I don't want you to get comfortable."

Eric chuckled, though his eyes stood dark and sinister. "Aren't we past this stage?" She shrugged and he sighed, turning to her. "Look, before I lost my memories you-"

"You have done unforgivable things to me, Eric."

"I've also put my life on the line for you."

"Ditto. And please let's not make this a competition because I would lose by default, being mortal and all."

"I'm not the Eric who-"

"Treated me like I was his equal?" Sookie crossed her arms. " Or who thought of anyone but himself," she stated.

Before she could continue with her rant, he leaned forwards and kissed her. It was unexpected and something Eric felt like he could do now that he had been intimate with her. The taste of her was one he instantly remembered and had been craving more desperately than he ever had. It was Sookie who deepened the kiss, but neither of them reached out to touch the other. It made the experience that more exciting, knowing that what they were feeling right now was just because of a kiss. Eric was the one who finally broke their kiss, taking pleasure in her tainted cheeks and shallow breaths.

"Thoughts of you occupy my mind every waking hour," he whispered in her ear, touching his lips to her earlobe.

Sookie closed her eyes and inwardly trembled, _her resistance about to collapse._

However, when she opened her eyes, Eric had disappeared. This was even worse; they had each gotten a taste and now both of them were left wanting more.

He would be on her mind every waking hour, as well as every other one.

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><p><strong>Please review? <strong>Well, what did you think? I have to admit that the plot missed the weight of my other story, but then again, this story wasn't supposed to be too heavy. Either way, I had fun writing it and am still working on fine-tuning the characters. Comments and/or critique is always welcome and they really help improve my writing and take the edge of posting. After years, I still get a little nervous with putting my stuff online, but so far it has been worth it. :) Thanks for taking the time.


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